Ronaldo signed a new contract at the start of the season that will take him to 2018 when he will be 33 years old.

He admitted that it has taken a while for his relationship with the demanding followers of Spain’s biggest club to blossom.

He told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope: 'This is my fifth season and at first I did not know how to deal with the Bernabeu crowd. It is a special crowd that is different to other countries.

World class: Ronaldo has returned to Madrid after helping Portugal secure a place at next summer's World Cup

'But when you win them over, the people really appreciate you and you feel the warmth for you on the street. They love it if you enjoy playing and are proud to wear the shirt.

'The truth is in the first few years I did not feel identified with them but then I started to realise that perhaps I was the one who was in the wrong – the fans are what they are and they have the Spanish mentality.

'In the fourth and now in the fifth year I really feel I understand Madrid on and off the pitch. I feel 100 percent happy. I love the Madridleños (inhabitants of Madrid) and the Madridistas (fans of the club). I am living the dream every time I play in the Santiago Bernabeu.'

Staying put: Ronaldo feels 100 per cent happy and claims he now understands Madrid on and off the pitch